Your default reaction to a new idea is to jump right in.

To get to work on the fun stuff, immediately start building, without first laying the groundwork.

Without deciding who and what the idea is even for.

Chances are, it’s not just about you.

Maybe it’s not about you at all.

Which means there’s work to do.

Research, conversations, patience, thought.

It’s true, the groundwork can sap the excitement from the project.

It feels as though you’re wasting precious time.

That if you don’t strike immediately, the opportunity will be wasted.

But if your idea, and your interest in it is so fragile that it can’t withstand some probing, questioning, and background research, it probably wasn’t worth much in the first place.

When it comes to the big ideas, however, the ideas with real potential, completing the groundwork only increases your excitement and commitment to the project.

When you find that there’s genuine market fit and audience interest in addition to your own enthusiasm.

These (and perhaps only these) are the ideas worth chasing.

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